Cardinal Wolsey's Speech

In the speech from William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII Cardinal Wolsey has just lost his position as Advisor to the King. Wolsey’s reaction is a soliloquy filled with hate and bitterness where he conveys his complex emotions by using metaphors, the third person, diction, and tone. The solioque begins with a very indignant tone when Wolsey evidently screams “farewell? a long farewell to all my greatness!”(Shakespeare, 2). This shows how Wolsey is in an utter outrage because he has just lost his beloved position as advisor to the king. The use of tone is evident in this quote, however this quote reveals how much pride Wolsey has not only in himself but how much pride he had in his old job as advisor to the king. Through this quote Wolsey tries
On line 14 diction plays a key role into showing Wolsey’s emotions when he states “Weary and old with service”(Shakespeare, 14). The key word in this quote is “Weary”, the use of this word implies that Cardinal Wolsey has poured everything he had into his position, which in result leaves him exhausted or rather “old with service”. Another meaning to “Weary” is aging and the fact that Wolsey chooses this word because it implies that Wolsey has spent a great deal of time and dedication with this job. On line 23 Wolsey says “ Never to hope again”(Shakespeare, 23). Diction is important to this quote because of the use of “hope”. The importance of “hope” is how it is used to say how Wolsey will never be able to hope again. Wolsey will not be able to hope again because he can’t seem to move past the fact that he is no longer advisor to the king which he put so much work towards. Without having this job Wolsey no longer has pride, and no longer has hope. Diction was important to the overall meaning of Wolsey’s speech because it helps show how Wolsey’s complex feelings and how the tone change throughout his